


Second Chances

by RadBren13



Category: Everything Sucks (TV)
Genre: F/F, Kemaline - Freeform, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 19:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23944381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RadBren13/pseuds/RadBren13
Summary: It's now 2008 and it's 10 years after graduation. What ever happened to Emaline and Kate, and the rest of their friends? Does life look like they expected? What happens when you come face to face with your past?
Relationships: Emaline Addario/Kate Messner, Emaline and Kate, Emaline/Kate
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Part 1

Kate steadied herself and pulled open the front door of Boring High School. Stepping into the hallway, a torrent of memories began tumbling through her mind. She walked past her locker, remembering the way her heart leapt into her throat the day she saw "dyke" written on it, past the stairwell where her heart fluttered and her stomach filled with butterflies when Emaline told Kate that she liked her, past the auditorium where the AV and Theatre clubs had played spin the bottle together and where they'd screened their first movie. Kate paused just past the auditorium door and turned back, the memories cascading from her brain and igniting the flame in her heart that she'd long held for Emaline. The thoughts of Emaline made Kate's heart race. Kate stepped inside the auditorium, remembering the first time she kissed Emaline in that very room. Kate could feel Emaline's hands around her as they swayed to Duran Duran, she could see the glow of the ghostlight dancing in Emaline's eyes like sunlight on water, and she could remember exactly what Emaline's kiss felt like on her lips, unlocking worlds previously unknown to Kate. Their first kiss was soft, sweet, and electric, sending bolts of lightning through Kate's body. Kisses that powerful leave a mark. Kate was forever changed by Emaline Addario.

As she walked towards the stage, Kate's mind began to play a slideshow of all the moments she'd shared with Emaline right here in this auditorium. Suddenly she was 16 again standing on the stage where they had almost had their first kiss that night everyone played spin the bottle. Kate remembered every detail about Emaline from that night- the way her red plaid pants hugged her hips and complemented her figure, her golden hair twisted into Gwen Stefani knots, the tease of a red bra poking out from her white tank top that highlighted her shapely shoulders, and the mischievous flicker of the corner of her mouth when she slid an empty Zima bottle across the floor, daring Kate to spin it. While neither one could have admitted it that night, they had both been disappointed that they hadn't gotten 7 minutes together after the bottle came to a standstill pointed in Emaline's direction. They made up for that lost time, and more, later on, though. The stage became their "spot." A place to sneak away to before school, at lunch, and sometimes even in the middle of class when they timed their rendezvous just right. Sometimes they would just talk, their legs swinging off the edge of the stage, about everything and nothing, words excitedly spilling between them. It became a place where they could vent to one another, trading off who was pacing the stage gesticulating wildly, depending on the day. A lot of the time they sat cross-legged on the floor, quizzing each other on assignments and then, when they could no longer stand to be apart another moment, falling into one another, arms tangled around each other, hands caressing faces and arms, kissing like their lives depended on it.

Kate climbed onto the stage and looked out into the empty auditorium. The space seemed smaller somehow. It was still exactly like she remembered it, and different, all the same. Like a dream she had once in another life. She sat down on the edge and swung her feet over the side, like she had done a hundred times before. Kate thought about her last year at Boring High. It had been anything but boring. Kate had graduated early, testing well enough on all her AP and CLEP tests in her junior year to exempt her from her senior year, entirely, and fulfilling all the requirements for graduation. She didn't see the point in sticking around high school for another year when Emaline was going off to college. It's not like Kate cared about going to senior year activities or the prom, again, because she had already gone to all those events as a junior with her senior girlfriend, Emaline. Kate's last year of high school had actually been her junior year, but everyone treated her as a senior, anyway. It was an exciting time for Kate. Falling in love with Emaline was easy. It felt unlike anything Kate had ever experienced. It felt right. It felt like home. Not to say Kate didn't feel at home with her dad, but things changed after Kate's mom died. Their family dynamic was forever scarred. Kate's relationship with Emaline was different- unbroken. When Emaline was around the air crackled with excitement, dreams for the future had sprouted in Kate's mind like rosebuds bursting into blooms, and anything felt possible.

Kate remembered the day on this stage that she'd told Emaline she had decided to graduate early. She and Emaline had talked about it many times and now she was ready to take the necessary steps to make the future they'd dreamed about a reality. "I'm coming to Chicago with you next year," Kate whispered to Emaline as she kissed her girlfriend deeply and freely. Emaline grinned at the thought, whispering back in Kate's ear "I really hope you do," before planting a kiss on Kate's neck. "I'm serious." Kate moaned as Emaline grazed Kate's jawline with her teeth. This admission caused Emaline to break from the kiss she'd begun to lay on Kate's lips. "Really?!" Emaline cried, "please, don't joke about this, my heart can't stand it!" "I am really coming with you, I was accepted into DePaul. My early acceptance letter came yesterday and my Dad is fully on board," Kate told Emaline with glee. "Shut up, that's amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Emaline exclaimed, pulling Kate into a tight hug. "I can't believe I'm going to Northwestern's drama school and you're going to be at film school RIGHT there. Kate we are going to have the best time!" Emaline proclaimed. Kate declared, "we always have the best time, Em. I'm crazy about you," as she gazed at the sparkles in Emaline's eyes. Kate couldn't help but mirror Emaline's wide smile and they both giggled, stars shooting between their eyes. "I'm equally crazy about you, Sweetie. I can't help but smile when I'm around you, Kate, " Emaline mused. Kate's smile widened. "You're so cute, I can hardly stand it," Emaline said before pulling Kate in for another kiss. Kate wrapped her arms around Emaline's waist, returning the kiss with enough heat to cause Emaline's knees to buckle. As she leaned her weight onto the taller girl's body, Emaline rested her head on Kate's chest and breathed, "with you I'll be smiling forever."

Except Kate wasn't 17 anymore. She was 27. And that memory was something that happened a long time ago. Back in reality, Emaline wasn't around and Kate's heart sank at the thought. In the beginning, things between them had been so full of hope. They had made plans for the future. Like going to different colleges, so they could each have independence and a well-rounded college experience, but choosing schools that were close enough to one another that they could see each other whenever they wanted. Kate was going to study film, while Emaline studied drama. They were going to move to New York or maybe Orlando after graduation and start their careers, because LA was too cliche. Besides, you can always move to LA, but starting a career somewhere else would give them an edge, they thought. They wanted to travel to places like Vietnam, Brazil, Iceland, and Prague. They were going to beat the odds. And although neither one ever said it to the other, they each thought they would end up married some day, in some sense of the word. Kate was lost in thought when suddenly the door to the auditorium swung open. "There you are. I thought I might find you in here," called a familiar voice.


	2. Part 2

"Dad! You scared me," yelped Kate, jumping down from the stage and running into her father's arms. "Taking a walk down memory lane, Hun?" Ken asked his daughter.

"More like a freefall," she quiped. Ken eyed his daughter intently. 

"Thinking about Emaline?" He responded.

"Who else?" Kate sighed. Ken put his arm around Kate and gave her a squeeze, "A lot of good times," he said, pausing, before going on, "and a few not so good ones."

"I miss her," Kate admitted, turning to hug her dad again."I know you do, Kate. But you can fix that," Ken offered.

"Dad, we've talked about this. Too much time has passed. It can't be fixed," Kate replied. Ken turned to look his daughter in the eye, cupping the side of her face in his hand. "As long as you are both still breathing, it's never too late, Kate."

"Really? You're pulling the dead mom card right now?" Kate scoffed. "Not fair." Ken chuckled. "If she were here, she'd agree with me," he lobbed back to Kate.

"If she were here, you wouldn't have a card to play, Dad," she retorted.

"I guess I wouldn't, but she would tell you to go after what you want. If what you want is Emaline, your mom would want you to do whatever you needed to do to grab happiness for yourself. Your mom always wanted you to grab life by the fistful and so do I," Ken said to Kate.

"Isn't that what I'm doing, though? I went off and chased my dreams and made them happen."

"You really did and I'm so proud of you. Your latest film is your best one, yet!" He said.

"Dad, you say that about every film I make!" Kate moaned."That's because each one is better than the last," Ken tossed out, poking Kate in the rib.

"Daaaaad," she griped, enjoying the change of subject. Smiling at his daughter, Ken said to Kate, "I still need to finish up a few things in my office before tonight, why don't you head on home and I'll meet you there in a little bit."

"Okay, I have a pit stop to make and then I'll go home and start getting ready, she responded.

"See you there, Ken told her, giving her another squeeze and then a kiss on the forehead before slipping out the door. 

Kate turned once more toward the stage, letting loose a deep sigh. "I may not have made all my dreams come true," she said to herself, "but at least I made a lot of them happen." She took one more look around the auditorium and continued, "Life may not look like what I thought it would look like, but I still have a life others would do anything for. I don't regret doing what I needed to do for that to happen." She turned and pushed open the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Kate opened the door to her old room and wheeled her suitcase towards the bed. The room was almost exactly as she had left it years prior. A poster of Tori Amos hung on the wall. An old tripod was propped in the corner next to a pile of books. Picture frames and scented candles shaped like a peace sign and a frog sat on a shelf above her bed. A corkboard collaged with Poloroids, tickets from movies and concerts, pages ripped from magazines, and handwritten notes on notebook paper was suspended in time over her old desk. 

Kate paused to take it in for a moment. Most of the photos were of Emaline. Dancing in the parking lot of their favorite pizza place, head tossed back and laughing in the car, with her arms slung around Kate as they leaned against the bed in this very room, and in her prom dress with the corsage Kate made for her from pages of Shakespeare plays. Kate touched one of the ticket stubs. It was from the No Doubt concert at the Rose Garden in Portland the night Emaline told her that she loved her. Kate had surprised Emaline with the tickets. She had gotten in line outside the ticket booth as 9 pm the night before so she would be the first person in line when the tickets went on sale at 8 am. 

"I love you!" Emaline squeeled when Kate told her that she would be seeing Gwen Stefani, herself, performing Emaline's favorite songs from Tragic Kingdom. 

The barbed joy of the memory was too much for Kate to linger on, so she tossed her suitcase on the bed and began to unpack. She went to put her clothes away in her dresser, opening the top shelf only to find a mound of mix tapes Emaline had made for her.

"No wonder I've never been back to deal with anything in this room," she exhaled, "it's full of landmines!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sherry peaked her head in, "Kate?" She asked, "Can I come in?"  
"Hi! Of course!" Kate said excitedly, rushing over to give Sherry a hug.  
"It's so good to have you home, Sweetheart!" Sherry told Kate.  
"I'm so glad to be here. It's been much too long since I've been home. I'm sorry I haven't come home more," Kate replied.  
"Oh, that's okay, I understand. You have your own life to live, and I'm sure it's..." She trailed off.  
"Hard to come back?" Kate filled in for Sherry.  
"Yeah..." Sherry agreed, eyeing Kate before asking, "but how are you? How was your flight?"

An hour later, Kate was dressed and doing her makeup in front of the mirror. Sherry popped back into the room, "are you almost ready? Your dad is just picking out a tie and then we're ready to go."  
"I just need to put on some mascara and jewelry and I'm all set," Kate told her step-mother. "You look beautiful, Sherry. That is a great color on you."  
"Thank you, your dad picked it out!" Sherry revealed.  
"He has great taste!" Kate chuckled.  
"Speaking of taste," Sherry said, looking at the jewelry hanging on the vanity. She selected a necklace and held it out to Kate. "I've always liked this one."  
It was the necklace Emaline had picked out for Kate that day they went thrift shopping after school, before they ever admitted their crushes to each other.  
"Oh. Um. Thanks, Sherry. But I thought I would wear this one," Kate said, randomly grabbing another necklace. Any other necklace but that one.  
"That one is pretty, too. You will look great in anything you wear," Sherry smiled.  
Just ask Kate fastened the other necklace around her neck, the front door of the house burst open, "where's my sister?!" bellowing up the stairs into the room.

"There's Luke now!" Sherry said happily. "You ready?"  
"Yup," Kate declared as she rushed to squeeze her step-brother and best friend.


	4. Part 4

The Winston-Messner Family pulled up to Boring High School and Ken headed for the parking spot reserved for "Principal."

"Someone parked in my spot again!" He exclaimed. "How many emails does a guy have to send to the PTA every time we have an event..."

Cutting him off, Luke offered, "Just park in my spot. Oh, wait. AV Teachers don't get reserved spots," he complained.

The four broke into laughter, cutting through any nerves Kate had about tonight. Her family has a way of putting her at ease and she was thankful for the distraction from the speech she was about to give. No matter how many films she worked on or how many awards she received, Kate Messner preferred to be behind the camera than the center of attention. Unlike Emaline, who reveled in attention and was at ease in front of a crowd. Emaline always had good tips for Kate, to help her through things like this, such as looking at the back of the room, instead of looking at anybody in the audience directly, or picturing everyone as creatures from one of Luke's movies. Kate remembered the first time Emaline shared ones of those tips with Kate, but she stopped herself before the memory mill started churning. She just couldn't think about that. About her. Not tonight. She had learned how to compartmentalize Emaline. Kate kept all thoughts of Emaline tucked away in a place deep inside. Or, she tried to. Kate had a way of bumping into thoughts of Emaline the way you knock your leg on the coffee table a million times, even thought you know it's there, it hasn't moved. Kate had just learned to live with the bruises and shove her feelings back into the vault. But being back in Boring was making that difficult to accomplish. No matter how much she tiptoed around the subject of her ex-girlfriend or buried her memories, they had a way of crashing through when confronted with the setting where those memories were created in the first place. 

Luke, Ken, and Sherry continued laughing and talking, as the foursome headed for the front of the school. Kate, quiet and contemplative, had to steady herself before stepping through the doorway. Luke, always observant, especially when it came to Kate, noticed, asking Kate, "are you nervous about tonight?"

Caught off guard by her mental bubble being burst, Kate managed a smile. "You know me; I hate giving speeches."

"Well, yes, there's that," Luke started. "But I actually meant-"

Spotting a welcome distraction, Kate broke away from Luke, pushed the love of her life from her mind, and skipped over to McQuaid and Tyler. "Oh my gosh, how long has it been?!" she cried, nearly tackling her old friends.


End file.
